The deteriorating Alley Mill porch above the mill's turbine and flywheel will be closed for repairs, though the mill building itself will remain open to visitors. / Ozark National Scenic Riverways

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| News-Leader Staff

The Alley Mill, near Eminence, was built in 1894 and has withstood more than a century of floods, blizzards, thunderstorms and every type of weather imaginable. All in all, it has held up well, but in some places it is showing its age.

Within the past year, the back porch began to sag and the concrete structure under it began to crack and leak. It is believed now that the porch is so unstable as to be potentially unsafe. Rather than have this popular viewing spot collapse and possibly injure people, the U.S. National Park Service has closed the porch temporarily. This will also help protect the turbine and flywheel under the porch from possible damage caused by a collapse.

“The Alley Mill will remain open as usual,” said Superintendent Bill Black, “but we had to make this decision to protect people’s safety. We will have repairs completed as soon as possible.”

Park Service engineers have been looking at the entire rear area of the mill, from the porch to the spillway to the dam across the spring to consider the best approach to preservation.

“A comprehensive approach to the mill’s preservation may take awhile to implement, but we will tend to safety hazards immediately,” Black said. “We want the Alley Mill to remain a part of the community for at least another 120 years.”

Alley Mill is open for visitors from 9 a.m.-4:30 pm. daily through Labor Day. Admission is free, and tours are scheduled by request.